Far Rockaway
Subtitle: a romantic correspondence
By: edited & with an introduction by Maureen Cummins
Contributors: Fenichel-Hewett, Chris; Cordeiro, Ana; Tomlinson, Mark
Publisher: Maureen Cummins
Published: 2005
Place of publication: High Falls, New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 61
Subjects: Gay men; Correspondence; Social life and customs; Gays; Artists' books
Description: In 2000 artist Maureen Cummins purchased a shoebox of about 100 love letters at a flea market in Manhattan, all written to the same man between 1906 and 1908, and most of them addressed to Far Rockaway, New York.  Attracted by the physical beauty of the writing and the stationary she purchased them largely unexamined.  Upon reading them she discovered that the writer was, in fact, another man.  In Cummins' words, "... they constituted a rare and precious treasure, being both an engaging testament of unrequited love, and a fascinating record of homosexual life in the early twentieth century."
Notes: "Far Rockaway was produced by Maureen Cummins ... text was offset printed by Chris Fenichel-Hewett, with letterpress titling, images and facsimile letters printed by Maureen Cummins ... hand-bound by the artist with assistance from Ana Cordeiro ... clamshell boxes were hand-crafted by Mark Tomlinson"--colophon.

"This unique edition is limited to five hundred copies, of which fifty deluxe copies are coptic bound and boxed, contain facsimiles of selected letters, and are numbered 1-50.  Four hundred and fifty regular copies are bound in soft covers, slipcased and numbered 51-500."--colophon.

Rare Book copy 1: No. 16, signed by the artist.

Rare Book copy 2: No. 66, signed by the artist.